What Can Cause Swollen Fingers in the Morning and How Can It Be Treated?

What Can Cause Swollen Fingers in the Morning and How Can It Be Treated?

Sometimes, the freshness of waking up in the morning after a good night's sleep is hampered by the presence of swollen fingers the first thing when we get up in the morning. The individual who has this condition is not able to do his or her normal morning routines like bathing, brushing the teeth, cooking, eating breakfast and the like. If this swelling in the fingers in the morning hours does not improve as the day goes on then it may also come in the way of carrying out work activities effectively, especially in people who require use of their fingers in their job like typing and the like. Swollen fingers in the morning may have numerous causes and the severity of the condition is also variable. Hence it is vital for the individual along with the care provider to find out the exact cause of the swelling of the fingers in the morning before formulating a treatment plan. Prior to starting treatment there are a few things which an individual can do to cope up with the swelling of the fingers that almost every time occurs in the morning. These things include:

Elevating the hands above the heart for some time to get the circulation back on track in case if that is a problem

Icing the hands just after you get up in the morning to calm down the swelling of the fingers

Perform some hand exercises so as to make the muscles start moving

Rubbing the hands immediately after getting up is also effective in getting rid of the swelling of the fingers in the morning.

What Can Cause Swollen Fingers in the Morning and How Can it be Treated?

Some of the medical conditions which can cause swelling of the fingers in the mornings are:

Swollen Fingers in the Morning Caused due to Arthritis: This is one of the most common causes of swelling in fingers in the morning. Arthritis has many types and each one of them can be a cause for swelling in the swollen fingers in the morning. Some of the conditions are:

Rheumatoid Arthritis: This is a form of an autoimmune disorder which can cause the fingers to swell up in the mornings.

Osteoarthritis: This is a condition which is caused by degeneration of the cartilages and is found more in the elderly population.

Psoriatic Arthritis: This is also one of the conditions which can cause swelling of the fingers in the mornings as a result of a skin condition called psoriasis.

Treatment: Arthritis is a condition which cannot be treated by medication and in majority of the conditions this is treated with applying heat or ice packs so as not to prevent the joints from becoming rigid or stiff. Over the counter pain medications are also quite effective in treating pain associated with arthritis.

Swollen Fingers in the Morning Caused due to Bad Diet Practices: Bad diet practice or unhealthy diet is also one of the causes of swollen fingers in the morning. Without knowing, quite a few people eat food with too much salt in it resulting in the body to retain more water resulting in swollen extremities and in specific fingers.

Treatment: The best way to treat swelling of the fingers in the morning if it is associated with diet is to consult a nutritionist and get the best diet for you so as to get rid of the condition and avoid eating processed food, sauces and the like.

Swollen Fingers in the Morning Caused due to Overuse of the Fingers: This is also one of the common causes of swollen fingers in the morning. Overuse of the fingers can be of many types like continuous typing on the computer for a prolonged period of time and other strenuous types of activities which require frequent use of the hands and the fingers. This normally results in tendonitis and irritation of the nerves and tendons of the hands causing finger swelling.

Treatment: Swollen finger in the morning due to finger overuse is best treated by using a splint or a brace to immobilize the area in severe cases or doing stretching exercising first thing in the morning.

Swollen Fingers in the Morning Caused due to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Even though swelling is not the classic symptom of this condition but it can definitely cause swelling of the fingers. This is also caused by overuse of the wrist and the hands and may cause pain of the wrists and the elbows.

Treatment: Wrist splint and in severe cases surgery in the form of carpal tunnel release is the treatment required for this condition. The severity of the condition is measures by doing EMG and nerve conduction studies to determine the amount of compression of the median nerves of the wrists.

Swollen Fingers in the Morning Caused due to Direct Trauma: Direct trauma to the fingers like a cut or a burn injury can also be a cause of swelling of the fingers in the morning.

Treatment: The treatment for injuries or direct trauma in the form of cuts and bruises can be best done by bandages. In case of twisting injuries or fingers being trapped on doors or other objects need consultation by a physician and imaging studies to rule out fracture or dislocation.

Swollen Fingers in the Morning Caused due to Poor Sleep Posture: If an individual has a poor sleeping posture and sleeps on his or her hands quite a lot then that can cause one to have swollen fingers in the morning. Also, if the bed where you sleep is not level with the ground then it may also cause the fingers to swell up in the morning.

Treatment: The best way to treat this is to wear a wrist brace at night before sleeping so that the fingers are kept immobilized.

What are some of the Ways to Avoid Getting Swelling of the Fingers in the Morning?

The following remedies are quite useful in getting rid of swelling of the fingers in the morning but in case if these remedies are not useful then a consultation with a physician is a must. The remedies include: